1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a powder guiding device having a first powder guiding member and a second powder guiding member, the first powder guiding member and the second powder guiding member being disposed so as to be able to be separated from each other through a relative movement in an approximately horizontal direction from a powder guiding position where a lower opening of the first powder guiding member matches with an upper opening of the second powder guiding member to allow powder to be guided and then again to be able to make a relative movement to the powder guiding position, the device including a shutter that occupies a close position allowing the lower opening of the first powder guiding member to be closed when the first powder guiding member and the second powder guiding member are separated from each other and occupies an open position allowing the lower opening of the first powder guiding member to be opened when the first powder guiding member and the second powder guiding member occupy the powder guiding position. The present invention also relates to an image forming apparatus having such a powder guiding device.
2. Description of the Related Art
The powder guiding device of the type explained above and the image forming apparatus having such a powder guiding device have been conventionally known (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H7-210048). In the powder guiding device of this type, when the first powder guiding member and the second powder guiding member are separated from each other so that the lower opening of the first powder guiding member is closed by the shutter, the powder attached to an inner wall surface of the first powder guiding member may fall down onto the shutter to be attached thereto. As such, when the shutter having powder attached thereto is moved to the open position, a shock occurring due to the movement may cause the powder attached to the shutter to fly to the outside of the powder guiding device.